Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

About the InstituteAs a women’s university dedicated to research on gender equity, Mount Saint Mary’s has the privilege of serving as a home for like-minded organizations like the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

Founded in 2004 by Academy Award®-winning actor and advocate Geena Davis, the Institute became the first research-based organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate and influence the need for gender balance, a reduction of stereotyping and the creation of a wide variety of female characters — particularly for entertainment targeting children 11 and under.

Through its work, the Institute has amassed the largest body of research on gender prevalence in entertainment. A go-to resource and thought leader on gender in media, the Institute’s research and advocacy has prompted significant change in messaging at major networks, studios, production companies, guilds and agencies.

In 2016, through a partnership with Google.org and a devoted team of research engineers and social scientists, the Institute released the Geena Davis Inclusion Quotient, also known as the GD-IQ tool. This revolutionary technology is the only tool in existence with the ability to measure screen and speaking time through the use of automation — changing the way film and television can be analyzed.

Our workThe Institute receives administrative and financial support from Mount Saint Mary’s, and contributes research findings to key projects such as the University’s annual Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California™ and the research anthology, “Collectif” — both of which are produced annually by the Mount’s Center for the Advancement of Women. The Institute also crafts educational, advocacy and research opportunities for Mount Saint Mary’s undergraduate students studying film, media and social justice, and works closely with our MFA program in Film, Television and Photography.

Report on the Status of Women & Girls in California ™Each year, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media contributes timely data and research to the University’s annual Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California™, which is released at a public event each year. Watch highlights, below, from the 2017 public release, including remarks by Geena Davis.

Learn moreTo learn more about the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University, visit https://seejane.org.